Posts Tagged ‘Holy Mountain’

Album of the day: High Wolf – Atlas Nation

Posted on Friday, November 11th, 2011

Praise for High Wolf‘s Atlas Nation from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: French one man psychedelic loopscaper High Wolf finds his way onto our pal JW’s Holy Mountain label, and offers up another mesmerizing collection of collaged soundscapes and rhythmic mesmer, but unlike on past records where the High Wolf sound was dense, and noisy, a little chaotic. A  Birchville Cat Motel like slow build to a dense layered soft cacophony, the sounds here are much more blissed out and dubby, very rhythmic with a bit of an Eastern vibe.

The opening track especially sounds like a more lysergic Muslimgauze, with some sitar like buzz and tribal hand drums woven into the song’s blurred soft swells and spidery melodies. It’s easily the dreamiest thing we’ve heard from HW, and we definitely wish it had gone one way longer.

The second track offers up more of the same, with a bit more effects, muted percussion, some warm fuzzed out shimmer, all in a haze of washed out effects, until the low end swoops in, thick and dense, synthy and warbly. A strange fuzzy pulse laid over that initial rhythm, a dark raga like kosmische sound that drifts and shimmers hypnotically until the song finally winds down.

Track three, ‘Raagini’ begins all raga buzz, layered high end tones, but quickly blossoms into a sound more like the High Wolf of old, a gauzy expanse of mesmerizing buzz, but here the drones are laid over a strange sonar like pulse, which gives the otherwise nearly static buzz an otherworldly propulsion.

‘Kenya Sunset’ is another one that starts off all Muslimgauze-y, looped and darkly rhythmic, ominous and cinematic, the surrounding sounds in constant motion, totally tranced out, the sort of thing we could listen to forever, but instead of going on forever, the song erupts into a wild psychedelic squall, that wraps itself around that pulsing rhythm, and rides it for the length of the track.

And then finally, the nearly 14 minute ‘Haiti’ smooths the looped rhythms into something much more abstract and droney, some spaced out psychedelic drift, that builds slowly into a warm washed out celestial swirl, all bleary and blurry and dreamy, but still shot through with some smoldering psychedelic guitar, the perfect closer to one of our favorite High Wolf records yet.

Includes a download coupon as well!

At 40 years old, Aquarius is the oldest independent record store in San Francisco. We try to only carry music we love, and we’re always searching for more new, cool, weird and wonderful music. All of which we then share with you, our loyal customers.

Tags: Album of the day, Aquarius Records, Atlas Nation, High Wolf, Holy Mountain, psychedelica
Posted in 2011, Album of the Day, Roadburn Recommended | No Comments »

SLEEP To Headline Roadburn Festival 2012; OM Confirmed For The Thursday Roadburn Date!

Posted on Friday, September 9th, 2011

Roadburn headquarters are in a euphoric state as we report that West Coast stoner metal legends Sleep have been confirmed as the headliner at Roadburn Festival 2012. Sleep are irrefutably a seminal band of the stoner rock scene and to our elation they are coming to their spiritual home of Roadburn to anchor ...read more

Sleep: New York Footage Posted On Line!

Posted on Friday, June 24th, 2011

Fan-filmed video footage of Sleep‘s June 22, 2011 performance at Terminal 5 in New York City can be seen below.

Sleep Announces Summer 2011 Tour Dates

Posted on Monday, March 21st, 2011

Legendary stoner rock band Sleep has just announced a string of summer North American tour dates.  On the heels of its sold out U.S. tour run last September, the California trio will return to the stage this summer by popular demand.  Live dates in NYC (June 22) and Los Angeles ...read more

Sleep at Brooklyn Masonic Temple: Approx. 70 Minutes Fan Filmed Video Footage Available

Posted on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Check out new footage of stoner/doom metal trio Sleep rocking the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in NYC on September 6, 2010: Continue reading: Next Mosh | Your Source for Hard Rock & Metal Shows in the New York Area.

Sleep: Quality Denver Footage Posted Online

Posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

“Superskum” has uploaded quality fan-filmed video footage of legendary stoner rock band Sleep‘s September 5, 2010 performance in Denver, Colorado. You can now watch the clips below. Continue reading:  BLABBERMOUTH.NET – SLEEP: Quality Denver Footage Posted Online.